Rail-joint.



C. G. LAMB.

RAIL JOINT. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1a, 1913.

. gar/I414 K fiTZ/fi 07" Charles CLamb. 0 Pm K Patented Oct. 6, 1914.

G. G. LAMB. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION IILBD MAR. 13, 1913.

1,1 1 3, 127. Patented 00b. 6, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET B.

Charles CLamt THE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHmu-u "40., WASHINGIUN. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. a

CHARLES CALVERT LAivrB, or, CHICAGO, rLririvors, AssIGNon or ONE-HALF T wILLARnM. McnwEr oF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-JOINT.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES C. LAMB, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-J oints; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

This inventlon relates to rail joints of that kind especially adapted for street-railway rails, consisting of a joint bar adapted to support the meeting ends of the rails, and provided with means by which the ends of the rails are secured thereto, and it includes, as one feature thereof,improved features of construction in means for rigidly and securely holding the meeting ends of the rails accurately in alinement with each OllllBl,{Ll1Cl for rigidly supporting the laterally extending flanges of the rail-heads, which are grooved to receive the wheel-flanges, from downward yielding or deflection at such meeting ends of the rails.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide in connectlon wlth a one-plecc joint bar havlng longitudinal, side members extending at opposite sidesof the rails, means adapted to operate with a wedge action for clampingthe ends of the rails in the joint bar, and also for exerting an upward pressure on the laterally extending grooved flanges of the rails, in a manner tosustain the adjacent'meeting ends of such flanges fis in the same horizontal plane, and to thereby lessen the liability of the said meeting ends of the flanges from being unequally depressed or thrown out of, line with each other under the actionofpassing loads.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described andjpointed out in the appended claim. 0

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention -Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rail joint embodying my 1nven-L tion; Fig. 2 1S2L v1ew of the oint, partially in elevationand partially in vertical section, to be taken upon line 2+2 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectiontaken upon line 33 of Fig. 4:; Flg. 4 1s a transverse sec tion of the jointptaken upon line 4.4 of.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fig. 3 Fig. 5 is a cross sectional viewof the oint, taken upon line 5-5 of Fig.; 3.

As shown in the accompanying drawings,

Patented Oct. 6,3191-2Ls 5 Application filed March 13, 1913. Serial No. 753,907.

the track-rails 5, 5 are of the type come monly used for street railways, and consist each of audeep central web 5, horizontal base flanges 5 5" and a head-5, provided at one side thereof with a laterally extending flange 5 provided with a groove inigits i top surface for the flanges of thecarwheels. a

The meeting ends of saidtrack-rails 5, 5 are supported and held in place by means of a one-piece oint bar, consisting of a horizontalbase-plate 6 and longitudinally extending side members 7 and 8, embracing parts 7 8, which extend inwardly over the base flanges of the rai1s,vertical parts 7*, j S", which extend upwardly at the sides of and parallel with the web 5 of the rail,jand

outwardly extending upper members 7, 8*,

which are located beneath the head-5 and lateral flange o of the rails. The base plate 6 is providedwith a longitudinally extendingfdepending web 9, having at its i lower margin outwardly extending, hori zontal flanges 9, 9 said web and flanges forming a stiffening girder for the jointbar, adapted to extend between the two ties on which the ends of said j oint-bar rests or is supported. The said web 9 and flanges 9, 9 are connected at the center and ends thereof with transverse, integral flanges 9", 9 and 9, 9. Adjacent to its ends exterior to the ties, the base-p1ate 6 is provided with depending transverse'flang es 9, 9 and with central longitudinally extending web members 9 joining the same with the end portions of the base-plate which extend beyond the said transversefianges.

In the case of one of the SldG members 7 the downwardly, inwardly and upwardly facing surfaces tl1ereof, indicated bylO, l1 and 12 respectively, are shaped to conform to the adjacent upwardly, outwardlyjand downwardlyyfacing surfaces of the webs, I l i 100 base flanges and heads of the rails, and have bearing contact with said surfaces of the rails when the latter are in place inuthe joint bar. In the case of the other longi-i tudinal member 8, the downwardly, inwardly i 105 ,dicated by 13, 14 and 15, respectively, are

the adjacent surfaces of the,

and upwardly facing surfaces thereof, in-

spaced from base flanges, webs and top flanges of the p rails. Said. downwardly, inwardly and upwardly facing surfaces of the said member 8 are inclined longitudinally from end to end of the said side member 8 so as to leave tapered spaces between the parts 8*, 8 and 8 of said member 8 and the adjacent sur faces of the base flanges, webs and top flanges 5 of the rails. Inserted between said member 8 and the ends of the rails is a wedge piece 16, which is made generally of U-shape in cross section and consists of a base member 16 an upright member 16 and a top member 16; these members being i made in one piece or integral with each leo other. All three of the members of said wedge piece are tapered from end to end,

the tapered form being given to such parts by making their downwardly, outwardly and upwardly facing surfaces-inclined to correspond with the inclined surfaces 13, 14- and 15 of the member 8.

In order to hold the parts or members of the side members 7 and 8 from bending or yielding relatively to each other, and especially to prevent any downward yielding of the top members 7 and 8 of said side mem bers, said side members are provided with a plurality of transverse stiffening flanges 7 and 8, which are made integral with the said parts or members and are spaced apart longitudinally of the joint-bar. As illustrated, three of these stifiening flanges are employed, one located at the center and the other two at the ends of the said side members 7 and 8. The said longitudinal side members 7 and 8 of the joint-bar are made substantially shorter than the length of the bar itself and preferably only slightly longer than the distance between the ties'on which the joint-bar is supported. The wedge member 16 is made slightly longer than the side member 8 engaged thereby and is provided at its thicker end, by preference made integrally therewith, a trans verse arm 17, which extends outwardlyfrom the outer margin of the base member 16 over the top surface of the base-plate 6 and projects beyond the outer lateral margin of said base-plate. The lower surface of said arm .17, in its part exterior to the base-member 16 and the side margin of the base flange of therail, is horizontal and adapted to rest or bear against the marginal portion of the top surface of the base-plate. In the outer end of said arm is formed a spike. Said arm 17, thus arranged, is adapted to come over or above one of the. ties 18, 18 (Fig. 2), and when the wedge,

hole 17 member is inserted in place, a, spike, as indicated by 20, is inserted through the spike hole 17 and driven into thetie so as to,

driven through thev arm '17 'servesnot only.

to hold the wedge member from movement In connection with the wedge member arranged as described, I have shown in the accompanying drawlngs, track bolts 22, 22,

"which are inserted horizontally through the 'side members 7 and 8, the upright member 16 of the'wedge piece and the webs of the rails, the said track bolts being provided with the usual nuts 22 by which they may be tightened and the upper margins of the side members 7 and 8 are held from spreading. apart, or away. from the rails, under the action of the wedge member when the latter is inserted or driven into its place. The bolt holes 7 e and 8 formed in the side members 7 and, 8 for the insertion of the bolts, will be preferably slightly elongated longi tudinally of said members in order to permit the relative endwise movement of the rail ends under the expansion and contraction of the rails due to. changes in temperature. The bolt holes 5 5 in the webs of the rails will preferably be made circular, but only slightly larger in diameter than the track bolts. The bolt holes 16, 16 in the upright member 16 of the wedge piece are elongated longitudinally of the wedge member, to such an extent as required to provide for any possible endwise movement or shifting of the wedge member when driven into bearing contact with the rail and joint-bar.

In the assembling of the parts of a railjoint, embracing the features of construction shown in the drawings, the ends of the rails will be insertedv in the longitudinal slot or each other the upper margins of the side members 7 and 8. By the upward pressure .of the top flange or member 16 of'the wedge piece against the under surface of the lateral, grooved flanges 5 of the rails, thefsaid flanges will be rigidly sustained or supported at their meeting ends; It is well under- I stood that those parts of street railway rails ,which are first to weaken and give way, are

the meeting ends of the grooved flanges, which, by reason of the elasticity of the .metal and the lack of direct, support there- ;for, are liable to yield or be deflected down- -wardly, under the pressure of the passing wheels, in such manner, that when'the flange iiS depressed or yields" downwardly at the end of one rail, before the wheel actingv rail in advance, the wheel will strike with a hammer blow the end of the flange whichis not so depressed, and such hammering action, as well as the downward flexure or yielding of the grooved flanges at both of the meeting rail-ends, will, bring about a rapid distortion and weakening of such flanges under the constant action of the vehicle wheels. It will, of course, be understood that in applicants construction illustrated, the upper flange 16 of the wedgepiece exerts a wedging action between the grooved flanges 5 of the rails and the upper, rigidly supported member 18? of the side member 8, so that the said upper flange 16 while it exerts a constant upward pressure on the rail flange 5, is itself rigidly or unyieldingly sustained or supported by the side member 8 of the joint-bar, the upper member 8 of which is rigidly sustained by the lateral stiffening flanges 8 8. Moreover, notwithstanding that the three parts of the wedge-piece, to wit, the base-member 16 the upright member 16 and the top member or flange 16, are made integral with each other, the top flange 16 being relatively w thin and capable of agcertain degree of lateral flexure, is adapted to adjust itself to the surfaces of the rail-flange 5 and th top member 8, between which it is inserted, so that said flange 16 will always act to maintain an upward pressure against the rail Copies of this patent may be obtained for flange above the same, and prevent downward yieldlng of said raillflanges. It is, to be understood, however, that, without regard to the use of the track bolts, the wedge piece made as described, namely, with integrally connected base, upright and top members, in itself affords important advantages in connection with the j oint-barmade as described, it being understoodfthat when the wedge-piece is a driven into place, it serves to force or press the baseeflanges of the rail downwardlyagainst the, base-plate and at the same time to press or clamp the web of the rail against the opposing side member 7 ,3 r and to also exert an upward pressure on the under surface of the grooved flange of the rail-head, so that not only are the ends of the rails firmly held in alinement, but the meeting ends of sa d grooved rail-flanges are held from downward yieldingior depression, as hereinbefore pointed out.

It is to be understood that the devices illustrated may be variously modified with respect to details of construction without :departurefrom the spirit of my invention and do not, therefore, desire to be limitedto the specific features of structure and design illustrated except sofaras the same may be pointed out in the appended claim as 0011- stitutingpart of myinvention. c j 1 I claim as my invention: i

In a rail-joint for street-railway rails,the combination of a joint bar consisting-iota horizontal base-plate for supportingthe rail ends, and longitudinal side members made integral with and extending upwardly from said base-plate at opposite sides of the rails,

one of said side members having inwardly,

downwardly and upwardly facingsurfaces that are located adjacent to andarespaced from the web, base-flanges and heads of the l flan e members beingjshaped on their inner sur aces to conform to the opposing faces of the webs, base-flanges and heads of the rails, and inclined on their outwardly,upwardly and downwardly facing surfaces to fit the inclined inwardly, downwardly and upwardly facing surfaces of the joint-bar, said wedge piece being provided with elonbolt holes ofthe rail webs andjoint bar and track bolts inserted through the bolt holes of said side members,the rail webs, and the wedge piece.

In testimony, that 11 claim the foregoing as my invention I aflixmy signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 28thday of February, A. D. 1913.

CHARLES CALVERT LAMB.

"Witnesses:

EUGENE 1C. WANN, CHARLES H. Poona.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

gated bolt holes adapted to register with the j 

